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(No Model.) 4- Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. MESSIER.

Hoisting and Conveying Machine. I No. 237,571. Patented Feb. 8,188].

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L. MESSIER. 4 Hoisting and Gon v'eying Machine. No. 237,571. Patented Feb. 8,1881.

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L. MBSSIER. Hoisting and Conveying Machine. No. 237,571.

Patented Feb Y R MN L N. PETERS, PHOTzi-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

L, MESS-1BR. Hoisting and Conveying Machine.

Patented Feb. 8,

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N-PETERS, PnnTQ-LITHOGRA HER. WASHINGTON n C.

UNITED STATES PATENT @EEicE,

LUKE MESSIER, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES M. DAVIS,

OF SAME PLACE.

HOISTING AND CONVEYING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 237,571, dated February 8, 1881.

Application filed November 26, 1880. -(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUKE MESSIER, of the city and county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoisting and Conveying Apparatus, of which the following is a full and exact description.

My inventionrelates to improvements in apparatus for hoisting coal or other substances and conveying it to a limited distance from the point of hoisting, but more especially to thatclass of devices that are used upon wharves for unloading coal and ore from vessels and depositing such loads in piles on the wharf; and the objects of myimprovements are, first, to provide a machine that may be moved sidewise, as an entirety, on tracks arranged'transversely to the line of the conveying-tracks, to increase the width of the piles of the deposited material; second, to effect, by means of a single hoisting-chain, the reciprocal hoisting and lowering of the buckets at opposite sides of the machine; third, to afford facilities for properly adjusting-the length of the pendent ends of the hoisting-chain to the varying requirements of the work; and, fourth, to automatical] y secure the traveling carriagein place to receive the hoisting-bucket, to lock the bucket fast in the carriage, and to automatically effect the rele'asement of those parts at the required times. These objects I attain by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figures 1, 2, and 3 are respectively a side elevation, a front elevation, and a plan view of my invention, and in each of said figures portions of the frame-work are broken away for the purpose of condensing the figures and exposing some of the underlying parts. Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged and detached views of the drum-shaft and its attached and connected appliances; Fig. 6, an enlarged front view of the mechanism for adjusting the pendent ends of the hoisting-chain. Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10 are enlarged views of the traveling carriage and its details; and Figs. 11 and 12 are enlarged details of the construction of the hoistin g-bucket.

As represented in the drawings, A is the frame-work or tower of the machine, having at its top a forward extension, A, whereby the hoisting mechanism is projected beyond the line of the base of the tower and the device adapted for hoisting loads from a vessel lying beside a wharf. The frame-work A is rendered movable sidewise by means of the flanged wheels a, which are fixed to the framework, and are adapted to run on the tram ways a. It is also provided with platforms or landings (n for containing the motive power and other machinery required for operating the apparatus. As preferably constructed, the lower platform contains the motive power. The second one contains a driving-shaft, B, adapted to rotate in either direction, as occasion re quires, and on the upper one the drums and other appliances for operating the hoisting and conveying mechanisms are placed.

The drum-shaft O is formed of two separate lengths, ranged in line with each other, and having a spring, 0, interposed between the adjacent ends thereof, for the purpose of forcing apart the two sections. The belt-drum D is placed on the shaft 0 in such manner that it will cover the joint of the two parts of said shaft, and it is fitted loosely thereon, so that the shaft may revolve freely without imparting motion to the drum. At each end of said drum a friction-V is formed, that will engage at the required times with friction-clutches D,

secured to and revolving with the two sections of the shaft 0. The said friction-clutches are forced into contact with the friction-Vs of the drum by sliding the two parts of the shaft 0 toward each other by means of the hand-lever E, which is connected by the rods e to the levers 6, provided with adjustable centers 6, which bear against the outer ends of the shaft 0. The lever E is also connected, by means of suitable ropes or chains, f, which passover the sheaves f, to the brake-levers F, for controlling the brakes F, which bear against the periphery of the drum D, the parts being arranged to operate reciprocallythat is to say, when the lever E is moved to force the two pieces of the shaft 0 together and carry the friction-clutches into gear, the cords f elevate the outer ends of the levers F, to raise the brakes F clear from the drum D; but when the lever E is moved back by the spring 0 spreading apart the two parts of the shaft 0 the springs f will draw down the outer ends of the levers F and cause the brakes F to close against the drum D to keep itfrom revolving.

On the shaft 0, near each of its outer ends, are the drums G, for operating the ropes by which the conveying mechanism is moved. Said drums are fitted to permit the shaft to revolve freely in them, and each is provided with a friction-V, that is fitted to engage with its proper friction-clutch G of the pair of said clutches adapted to slide on splines fixed in the shaft 0. Forked levers 9, provided with the usual studs for engaging in the grooved hubs of the friction-clutches G, are employed for sliding said clutches into and out of gear with the drums, and each of the forked levers g is connected to a brakedever, g, for the purpose of operating brakes g that bear against the drums G, the arrangement and mode of operating said brakes being, identical with that of the same devices for the drum D, as hereinbefore described. A further description is unnecessary. Motion is imparted to the shaft from the shaft 13 by means of the pulleys b and b and belts I). The lever E, when moved into position to hold the frictionclutches D in gear with the drum D, has its outer end retained in place by the spring-latch c and under the like conditions the springlatches g perform the same functions for the levers g.

The hoisting-shaft H revolves in bearings fixed on top of the frame-work A,andis driven by the belt I, that runs from the belt-drum D to a drum, h, secured to said shaft. At the outer end of the hoisting-shaft a sprocket wheel, h, is secured, for the purpose of imparting motion to the hoisting-chain J, which engages with the horns of the wheel on its under side, and from thence passes over the tops of the sheaves K. By this arrangement the part of the hoisting-chain that passes around the under side of the sprocket-wheel is drawn by the weights suspended by the chain closely against the under side of the wheel, thereby giving to the horns thereon a secure hold of the hoisting-chain. After passing over the sheaves K the ends of the hoisting-chain J pass directly down, (through opening in the tracks A, as shown in Fig. 6,) and are provided with hoisting-hooksj. The sheaves K revolve in bearings secured to the cross-beams K, which are adapted to move vertically on the guides Ir, fixed to the top of the forward extension, A. The pendent pieces k are secured to the cross-beams, K and are provided with toothed racks, which gear into pinions secured on the transverse shaft R and by this arrangement the cross-beams K, with the sheaves K, can be raised or lowered as occasion requires, to adjust the pendent ends of the hoisting-chain to the length required for unloading boats that are affected by the tides, variations in draft of water, 850.

Near the middle of the hoisting-shaft I-I there is a drum, 71/2, on which the two ends of the rope 71, are wound in opposite directions, and the bight of said rope passes under the sheave 7& near the bottom of the tower A. Attached to the two parts of the rope 7& that lead from the drum 7L2 to the sheave h are buttons or stops Ir", arranged at such points on said rope that when either pendent end ofthe hoistingchain J is raised to the height required the button on the part of the rope 71 thatis moving in the same direction with the rising part of the hoisting-chain will engage with and raise the outer end of the bifurcated lever h, to the inner end of which is attached the pondent rod h", that bears upon the upper edge of the spring-latch c and the movement just described of the lever h depresses the springlateh and effects the release of the lever E, thereby disengaging the friction-clutches D and applying the brakes F to stop the rotations of the drum 1), in the manner hereinbefore described.

Two longitudinal tracks, A", are secured beneath the upper part of the frame-work A. The rearmost ends of said tracks are supported by an elevated transverse track, A, on which they are adapted to move sidcwise, to conform to the same movemcntot'thc tower A. On each of said longitudinal tracks there is placed a traveling carriage, L, arranged to move back and forth thereon, for the purpose of conveying the raised loads ofmaterialrearward. Each of said carriages is provided with truck-wheels l, arranged to run on the lower flanges of the tracks A so as to suspend the automatic mechanism of the carriage below said tracks. This automatic mechanism consists of a tumblingshaft, L, to which are secured, to one ofits projecting ends, a grooved segment or wheel, Z, for the operating-ropes hereinafter described, to the opposite end a spiral cam, l", and between the hanging side pieces of the carriage the arnisl Thelatter are connected byjointed links to the hooked arms I, pivoted to the side pieces of the carriage, and so arranged in relation to the slotted openings L in the said side pieces that the hooked ends, when dopressed, as shown in Fig. 7, will swing clear from said openings, but when raised, as shown in Fig. 8, will close across the openings, so as to engage under the hail of a bucket, hereinafter described. Each carriage and its contained mechanism is operated by the ropes M and M, (one of each being required to operate each carriage,) which are arranged as follows The rope M has one of its ends secured to one point of the segment I, as shown in Fig. 7, and from thence runs forward around a sheave, N, and thence passes backward over one of the double-grooved sheaves O, (which revolve on the stationary shaft O,) and from thence passes downward and is wound on its proper drum G. The rope M has one of its ends secured to the point of the segment 6 that is opposite to the one to which the rope M is attached, and from thence backward and over the sheave N, fixed to the rearmost end of the tracks A then forward over the sheave O, and from thence downward to its drum G, upon which it is wound in a reversed direction to the rope M,'so that when the drum is rotated to wind-up either of said ropes the other one is reciprocally unwound.

The arrangement of said'ropes at the opposite sides of the machine, after passing over the sheaves O, is as follows: At one side they lead down from the sheave to corresponding sides of the drum G, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1; but at the other side of the machine they are crossed, as shown by the full linesin the same figure, to lead to the opposite sides of the drum Gr. By this arrangement of the ropes, when the two drums G are revolving in the same direction, the two car riages L will move in contrary directions, so as to carry an empty bucket forward and a loaded one rearward. Each carriage L, while at rest at the forward end of its track A is locked in place by means of a spring-latch, i pivoted to the side of the carriage, and adapted to engage on a stationary catch-piece, P, secured to the framing of the forward extension, A. On turning the drum G to wind up the rope M (while the carriage is locked fast) the first movement of said rope causes the segment l to turn the shaft L, so as to draw up the hooked arms Z across the slotted openings L and carry the point of the cam l upward to raise the spring-latch Z as shown in Fig. 8, and release the carriage L. In effecting this unlocking movement the segment l is turned until its stud q engages with the shoulder q of the spring-latch Q, and locks the shaft L and its attached parts in the positions indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 7. The continued motion of the rope M then draws the carriage L backward on its track A to any point at which the load is to be dumped. On reversing the motion of the shaft 0 the rope M is wound up to draw the carriage L forward until it reaches the front end of its track, where the outer end of the spring-latch Q, engages under the beveled end of the campiece Q, fixed to the framing of the forward extension A, whereby the opposite end of the spring-latch is raised to release its shoulder g from the stud q on the segment 1, after which the continued movement of the rope M causes the shaft L to turn, so as to move the point of the cam l downward, to release its control over the spring-latch Z and permitting the hook of said spring-latch to engage with its catchpiece 1?, and at the same time the hooked arms 1* drop down into the position shown by the full lines in Fig.7. YVhen the segment 1 has by its movement completed the operations just described, a stud, "r, on the side of the segment engages with a hanging arm, R, to move the rod 9" and bell-crank W, to depress the pendent rod 1", so that it will release the spring-latch from its hold on the lever 9, that controls the drum G, by which the movements of the carriage are at that time governed, and thereby the movement of the ropes at that side of the machine is stopped.

The bucket S is provided with bottom sections, S, that are hinged thereto so as to open in the middle and swing downward, as shown in Fig. 11. Springs T are connected to the bottom sections, for the purpose of drawing them up to close the bottom of the bucket, and when closed the bottom sections are locked in place by the spring-catches U, pivoted to the sides of the bucket and provided with hooks that engage under the lips s of the bot tom sections.

The bail V, rigidly fixed to the top of the bucket S, is provided at its apex with an open standing loop, 11, for engaging on the hooksj of the hoisting-chain and it is also provided with slides W, or any equivalent mechanism, for depressing thesliding pieces Xagainstthe resistance of the springs a:to which the springcatches U are connected by the links a. The disengagement of the spring-catches from the bottom sections, S-while the bucket is suspended from the hooked arms 1 of the traveling carriage-is efi'ected by means of a pointed slide, Y, attached to the carriage L, and having its point arranged to enter between the adjacent ends of the slides I, so that as the slide Y is forced inward until its widened part will spread apart the slides W and force the spring-catches U back into the positions shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 11, the bottom sections, S, are thereby released, so that the weight of the load contained in the bucket will force open the bottom sections to permit the load to fall out of the bucket. The pointed slide Y is moved to effect the operation just described by its projecting end y striking one of the kneepieces Z, that are adjust-ably attached to the tracks A at any point where at the time it is desired to have the bucket-loads dumped. At the beginning of the forward movement of the carriage L the spring y retracts the slide Y from between the slides W, thereby permitting the parts to return to their positions, so that the spring-catches Ucan again secure the bottom sections.

The operation of my apparatus is as follows While the drum-shaftO is revolving in either direction, the lever E is moved (and locked by the spring-latch 0 to force the friction-clutches D into contact with the drum 1), whereby a rotatory motion corresponding in direction to that of the shaft 0 is imparted to the hoisting-shaft H, to move the hoisting-chain J to raise the loaded bucket and lower the empty one, that are then attached to the hooks jon the opposite ends of said chain. When the end of the chain that bears the loaded bucket is raised to a sufficient height, the bail Vpasses into the slotted opening of the carriage on that side of the machine, and is raised therein to a position where the hooked arms i can readily engage beneath said bail. When this position is attained the button h on the rising part of the rope 7L3 strikes the end of the bifurcated lever 71,, to trip the spring-latch e and disengage the lever E, whereupon the motion of the drum D and shaft H is instantly stopped, as hereinbefore described. The shaft 0 continues its rotations in the same direction, and the fric- ICE,

tion-clutch Gon the side ofthemachine where the loaded bucket is suspended is moved into gear with its drum Gr, setting said drum in motion to wind up its rope M, whereby the segment Z is turned to raise the hooked arms I, to engage under the bail of the bucket and lift said bucket clear from the hook of the hoisting-chain. \Vhen this is accomplished the segmentl is locked in position by the springlatch Q, and the springlatch l is raised to release the carriage L. The continued movementof the rope M then draws the carriage with its loaded bucket backward until the projecting end of the slide Y strikes the kneepiece Z and effects the dumping of the load from the bucket, as hereinbef'ore described. Then the drum G must immediately be rotated in the contrary direction to draw the carriage and empty bucket forward until the former has reached its place at the end of the forward extension, A, where the outerend of the springlatch Q, engages under the cam-piece Q and releases the segment l,so that the shaft L will turn to set free the spring-latch F-to lock the earriageand let the hooked arms I drop down, to permit the hail of the bucket to re-engage with the hook ofthe hoisting-chain. Just as the segment Z has completed its last-described act (turning the shaft L) the stud r on its side engages with the hanging arm It, thereby causing said arm to move and, through the intermediate mechanism hereinbefore described, depress the pendent rod 1' to disengage the spring-latch g from the lever G and stopthe rotations of the drum G at that side of the machine. As soon as the last-described action has been accomplished, and without changing the direction of the rotations of the drum-shaft (J, the lever E should be moved to throw the friction-clutches D into gear with the drum D, whereby the shaft H is rotated in the proper direction to lower the emptied bucket, and at the same time hoista loaded bucket at the opposite side of the machine. Then, by a repetition of the operations above described, the load in the bucket lastraised is conveyed rearward and dumped.

When a sufficient quantity of material is deposited along the line of the longitudinal tracks A or when it is required to form piles of ditl'erent materials, the machine may be moved sidewise on the tramways a.

I claim as my invention 1. In a hoisting and conveying machine, the tower or frame-work A, provided with rigid longitudinal conveying-tracks A adapted to move as an entirety on the tramways a and elevated track A as and for the purpose here in specified.

2. In a hoisting-machine, the hoisting-shaft H, adapted to rotate in opposite directions, and provided with a sprocket-wheel, h, and the sheaves K, in combination with the hoisting-chain J, arranged in relation to the said sprocket-wheel and sheaves as herein described, the opposite ends of said hoistingchain being pendent from the sheaves K and provided with hooks j, all arranged to operate as herein specified.

3. The combination, with the hoisting-shaft H, rotating in fixed bearings, and provided with the sprocket-wheel h, and the hoistingchain J, of the sheaves K, adapted to adjust vertically in relation to the hoisting-shaft H, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with the drum-shaft C, composed of two separate lengths ranged in line, and having a spring, 0, interposed between their adjacent ends, said shaft being provided with a loose drum, 1), and the fixed friction-clutches D, of the levers E and e and the rods 0, all arranged to operate as herein specified.

5. In a traveling carriage for a hoisting and conveying machine, the tumbling-shaft L, for operating the hooked arms l, as described, and having a segment or wheel, I, and a cam, Z secured thereto, in combination with thespringlatches and Q, as and for the purpose specilied.

6. The combination herein described of one or more of each of the drums G, tracks A traveling carriages L, ropes M and M, and sheaves, N N, and Q, all arranged to operate as specified.

7. In a hoistingand conveying machine, the automatic mechanism herein described for detaching the bucketfrom the hoisting-chain and locking said bucket in the traveling carriage, and consistingofthe tumbling-shaftL,adapted to operate the hooked arms l, as described, and provided with a segmentor wheel, l, having a stud, q, arranged to cooperate with the spring-latch Q, as herein specified.

S. The bucket S, provided with bottom sections, S, arranged to close by means of the springs T, and secured by the s n'ing-catches U, the rigid bail V of said bucket being provided with the slides \V, that are connected, by means of the sliding pieces X and links 21, to the spring-catches U, and arranged to operate as herein specified.

9. In a hoisting and conveying machine, a traveling carriage, L, provided with a pointed slide, Y, for operating the described mechanism l'or releasing the bottom sections, S, of

the hoisting-bucket, in combination with an adjustable knee-piece, Z, as herein specified.

10. The combination, with the traveling carriage L, provided with the segmentor wheel I and spring-latch Q, of the stationary campiece Q, arranged to co-operate with the springlatch Q, as and for the purpose specified.

11. The combination, with the traveling carriage L, provided with the segment or wheel 6, operated by means of the ropes M and M, and provided with the projecting stud r, of the arm it, rods 1" and v and crank 0' and springlatch all arranged to operate as herein specilied.

LUKE MESSIER.

Witnesses:

J AMES M. DAVIS, WILLIAM H. Low.

IIO 

